Tagged With "Housing"

By Robin Estrin, Berkeleyside, December 2, 2019 Marcia Garcia, 29, moved to the Bay Area in August, admitted to UC Berkeley’s Goldman School of Public Policy for a master’s degree. Searching for housing, she quickly learned that options were scarce—and expensive. But thanks to a new program that pairs up graduate students and University retirees with room to spare, she found something affordable: a first-floor bedroom with its own entrance, in a house owned by Cal alumna Linda Artel. “I like...

By Xenia Shih Bion, California Health Care Foundation, March 2, 2020 Governor Gavin Newsom made an unconventional move in his second annual State of the State address — he devoted almost the entire speech to California’s housing and homelessness crisis. It is clearly on the minds of many Californians. A recent CHCF and SSRS statewide poll found that more than 8 out of 10 state residents say addressing homelessness is an “extremely important” or “very important” issue. “The problem has...

By California Housing Partnership, October 2019 The California Housing Partnership has regularly documented the severity of the housing affordability crisis that affects every county in the State. As the crisis has deepened in recent years, more and more families have been affected, leading some State leaders— particularly those from higher cost coastal areas—to consider investing scarce resources to help the “missing middle” afford housing. As planning for a new budget and legislative cycle...

By Matt Levin, Cal Matters, November 8, 2019 Nancy Rich wants to go back home. It’s not just the longer commute that’s wearing on her. Rich, 65, drives an hour each way from her one bedroom apartment in Marysville to her job in the mailroom at the Chico Enterprise-Record newspaper. She works a full swing shift, meaning she doesn’t get home until about 3 a.m. It’s not just the annoying bathroom leak, which she has to keep stuffed with bath towels, or the rumors of car break-ins and burglaries...

For years, local politicians, county health officials and health care professionals have been talking about making Sonoma County the healthiest county in the state by 2020, a goal that is at the heart of numerous local health, education and socio-economic initiatives. In 2011, Sonoma County ranked 12th among 56 California counties surveyed in the first County Health Rankings by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. It took three years for the county to break into the top 10, reaching eighth.

The CA Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) wants your input on housing needs in our communities. Please complete the survey (also available in Spanish) and share with individuals you serve, as they are looking for input from a broad array of sources. See the email below for more information! FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Date: July 19, 2019 Contact: Alicia Murillo Office: (916) 263-7400 Alicia.Murillo@hcd.ca.gov California's Department of Housing Asks Californians to Share Their...

The CA Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) wants your input on housing needs in our communities. Please complete the survey (also available in Spanish) and share with individuals you serve, as they are looking for input from a broad array of sources. See the email below for more information! FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Date: July 19, 2019 Contact: Alicia Murillo Office: (916) 263-7400 Alicia.Murillo@hcd.ca.gov California's Department of Housing Asks Californians to Share Their...

By California Strategic Growth Council, October 31, 2019 Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities (AHSC) Program (Round 5) $550 million is available for affordable housing projects to applicants statewide for the current funding Round 5. The program is highly competitive, so make sure to apply for free technical assistance by filling out this survey application (linked), which is due TODAY . [ Apply by filling out this survey .]

By Diana Lambert, EdSource, February 28, 2020 In a region with the largest disparity between teacher pay and housing costs in California, a Bay Area school district is the first in the nation to build affordable employee housing funded exclusively through a bond passed by local taxpayers. The Jefferson Union High School District in Daly City recently broke ground on the 122-unit housing project, which will be financed by a $33 million general obligation bond passed by voters in 2018. At the...

By Emily Deruy, The Mercury News, Decemeber 2, 2019 As a fierce rainstorm drenched San Jose a few nights ago, Ericka Avila slept soundly in her new studio apartment just steps from St. James Park. Several weeks ago, that would have been out of the question. The 42-year-old spent years sleeping in her car, parked mostly at a Walmart on Story Road and sometimes at a library on Tully Road. When rain poured down or lightening flashed, Avila would peer out her windows, frightened and alone. “I’m...

By Marisol Cuellar Mejia and Paulette Cha, Public Policy Institute of California, May 12, 2020 Some Californians face substantial risk of illness within their own households under the state’s shelter-in-place order. Physical distancing and self-isolation can be virtually impossible in crowded homes, threatening the health of entire households. In crowded living conditions, individuals are at higher risk of transmitting infectious diseases , a factor that may challenge the state’s efforts to...

By Rebecca O'Connor, The Desert Sun, November 15, 2019 A nonprofit organization helping to build a stronger community through affordable housing needs public awareness and support. Founded in 1982, the Indio-based Coachella Valley Housing Coalition (CVHC) has become the largest developer of low-income housing in Riverside County and one of the largest residential developers in Coachella Valley. The organization offers numerous programs that serve low-income individuals and families, creating...

By Xenia Shih Bion, California Health Care Foundation, November 18, 2019 In the course of a single year, a homeless man named Steve in Phoenix, Arizona, visited the emergency room 81 times. Only 54 years old, Steve is coping with a daunting array of medical conditions: multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy, heart disease, and diabetes. Because of his health and reliance on emergency rooms, his medical costs averaged about $13,000 per month that year. Thanks to an innovative housing program run...

By Natalie Hanson, Chico Enterprise-Record, January 16, 2020 At least 70% of Oroville’s high school students are considered socioeconomically-disadvantaged. In Chico, Between 400 and 500 children are categorized as housing insecure at any time during the Chico Unified School district’s school year. Across the county, thousands of students often rely on each district for help just to get to school and to get a meal. In these statistics a tragic side is seen in the Butte County homelessness...

By Matt Tinoco, KPCC, November 5, 2019 The reality of California’s homeless crisis is that there is little social safety net to catch the very poorest residents before they fall to the streets. As more than 100,000 people find homes on California’s sidewalks, roadways and parks, the costs mount for local and state governments. Nowhere is this more acute than the state’s public health care system. Medi-Cal covers many homeless people’s escalating health needs as they become sicker while...

In a new policy brief from the UC Davis Center for Poverty Research, Zach Newman and Lisa R. Pruitt write that California's legal-aid system should be funded with sensitivity to rural needs in order to deliver adequate legal aid to all Californians, wherever they reside. Key Facts: Rural homelessness in California is rising, sometimes more quickly than its urban equivalent. High rural eviction rates are caused in part by inadequate access to legal assistance in rural communities. New laws...

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By Matt Levin, Cal Matters, June 9, 2020 Salvador Bradford takes pride in keeping his studio apartment relatively tidy. He needs to. The converted hotel room he calls home has around 250-square feet of space to fit a bathroom, stove-top, and mini-fridge. But there is space enough for the trappings of home: a shelf full of Star Wars and Star Trek DVDs, a small self-described “shrine” to Jesus Christ, to whom Bradford credits his past five years of sobriety. He’s lived in the room at what was...

By Ashley A. Smith, EdSource, June 12, 2020 More than half of Cerritos College’s 22,000 students are either homeless or struggle to pay their rent and other housing utilities. That fact was the driving reason why the college, located in Norwalk, south of Los Angeles, opened the state’s first housing project for community college students facing housing insecurity. College officials held the grand opening of the housing development Thursday. “The homeless crisis in LA is pretty big,” said...

By Change Lab Solutions, June 23, 2020 Access to safe, stable, and affordable housing is crucial for community health, and COVID-19 is amplifying its importance. Access to housing helps individuals practice social distancing and maintain adequate hygiene to prevent infection. Housing quality is equally important. Given that families are encouraged to stay home as much as possible during the pandemic, it is critical that individuals have housing that is free of lead, mold, and other harmful...

Due to its popularity, PACEs Connection's Race & Equity Workgroup is continuing the “Historical Trauma in America Series”. This event examines historical trauma in the United States and its impact on American society in a series of virtual discussions. This series, which began in July 2021, highlights several regions within the United States and outlines how unresolved historical trauma has impacted every aspect of American life and directly shapes the sociopolitical landscape of today...

Due to its popularity, PACEs Connection's Race & Equity Workgroup is continuing the “Historical Trauma in America Series”. This event examines historical trauma in the United States and its impact on American society in a series of virtual discussions. This series, which began in July 2021, highlights several regions within the United States and outlines how unresolved historical trauma has impacted every aspect of American life and directly shapes the sociopolitical landscape of today...